Slightly more people seek jobless benefits

Friday

Nov 25, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 25, 2011 at 1:00 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) ó The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up slightly last week after two months of steady declines.

But the increase isnít enough to reverse the downward trend. The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, fell to its lowest level since April. The decline in the average signals companies are laying off fewer workers.

Weekly applications for unemployment aid rose 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Itís only the second increase in six weeks. The four-week average fell to 394,250. Thatís the eighth drop in the past nine weeks.

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